In the US the finale "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" is still(reportedly) the most watched television event ever in terms of percentage of households, share of overall viewers, and in actual number of viewers watching. Considering the finale was in 1983, its a very surprising statistic.

Also surprising is how well it stands up in modern day television. Ignoring the fact a lot of TV is crap now, but the show still holds such a power in the way the writing dealt with the seriousness of war, but somehow never managed to take itself too seriously.

Also surprising is how well it stands up in modern day television. Ignoring the fact a lot of TV is crap now, but the show still holds such a power in the way the writing dealt with the seriousness of war, but somehow never managed to take itself too seriously.

At the end it did. The show became a bit too political, earnest and serious in its later years.

The laugh track is the one thing that mars the show in retrospective viewing, I find, and it's also true of Night Court. I tend to excuse the serious shift toward the end of the series because, well, I think the character of Hawkeye Pierce from the original film might've become as serious when faced with neoconservatism.

Left wing as I am, some of the “left” politics of the TV Hawkeye rub me the wrong way...notably wasting ammunition in protest when faced with a violent attack. Then again, I actually paid for my M1911A1 (clone).